TBT: Awesome 1959 Fuelie 283 Corvette

Fuel Injection Was a Hard Sell in 1959, but the Fuelie Corvettes Enjoyed Some Extra Grunt

Fuelie Corvettes are a known commodity, even if their existence is overshadowed nearly 9:1 compared with their carbureted brothers. Mechanical fuel injection by Rochester, dubbed Ram Jet, started in 1957. In 1959, this particular 283 fuelie had RPO options, including a slightly spicier camshaft, which brought power up to a stout 290 hp.

All of the things that you’d normally get from a modern fuel injection system are there, but instead of being controlled by electronics, things were a bit more analogue. Fuel metering was dictated by intake vacuum, and the air/fuel ratio was adjusted depending on load. Eight different jets provided the fuel delivery, but carb technology was pretty well sorted out by then. Manufacturers and enthusiasts preferred that form of fuel delivery for some time, so injection faded out.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This “Muscle Car” of the Week

As in the video above, cars from the Brother’s Collection are often featured by Muscle Car of the Week. We like their YouTube channel because they go in-depth with production history and unique features about specific cars. However, this one doesn’t really fit the true terms of “muscle car.”

Muscle cars also came quite a few years after this Crown Sapphire Corvette was made. That’s okay, because this car wasn’t really mixing it up with muscle cars, but instead with more exotic sports cars of the day. It offered performance and technology barely matched by other high-end sports cars. Looks like things haven’t changed much for the Corvette.

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